Stop attacking merchant ships and seafarers: IMO Secretary-General to Member States

Conflicts must not be used as pretext to attack merchant ships.

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, has called on Member States to refrain from actions that endanger merchant ships and put seafarers’ lives at risk.

Addressing the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers, the Secretary-General warned of the severe impacts of geopolitical tensions on the shipping industry.

To date, IMO has verified 80 attacks on merchant vessels in the and around the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in at least 22 deaths of seafarers.

Secretary-General Dominguez said: “We are reaching a point where these conflicts are being used as a pretext to attack merchant vessels and innocent seafarers. Do not use these conflicts to attack innocent seafarers.”

Since the current conflict in the Middle East began on 28 February, IMO has verified 80 attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 seafarers and injuries to many others.

In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, dozens of fatalities have reportedly resulted from attacks on international shipping in recent months, although precise numbers are difficult to verify.

Attacks in the Red Sea have also resumed, with four fatalities confirmed in the latest attack by the Houthis on a merchant vessel on 11 August.

Secretary-General Dominguez emphasized that the attacks across these conflicts are not attributable to one single actor: “In the Strait of Hormuz, it is not only one country attacking merchant vessels. In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, it is not only one country attacking merchant vessels.”

He underlined that addressing the root causes of these geopolitical conflicts is beyond IMO’s remit, but that their impact is increasingly evident across global maritime trade and shipping operations. He urged delegates to raise these impacts on international shipping with their governments and in the appropriate international fora.  When shipping operations are disrupted, the consequences extend far beyond the maritime sector, affecting economies, supply chains and everyday lives.

“I call on you to share these impacts with the relevant bodies in your countries so that this can be dealt with within the United Nations, as appropriate.… It falls to you and your capitals, and relevant bodies of the United Nations, to address the root causes and find solutions,” he emphasized.

IMO Secretariat stands ready to contribute to workable solutions for the shipping industry that Member States can bring forward at the technical and operational level.

The Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers meets in London from 14 to 18 September to discuss safety issues related to the transport of dangerous goods, bulk cargoes and containers by sea.

• See IMO updates on Middle East

https://www.imo.org